I think about how my kids' memories are being formed, and how our own memories of them are gonna be so different from our parents' memories of us.

Remember when you were a kid and your mom came across a baby picture of you and was like "aww look how cute you were!"

We have that experience all the time now, with Facebook "memories" or even scrolling to the bottom of our instagram feeds. There's not much "aww, I forgot about that time you stuck your face in the cake at your 1st birthday!" We have it all on video and we've seen it enough that it's not even cute anymore. Ok, it's still cute to me, but I don't need to share it -- nobody else cares.

Our kids are seeing pics and videos of themselves right after they ate the cake, pet the llama, rode the coaster. Will they have stronger memories of those times because they've seen them right after they've done them? I think most of my memories from childhood are formed by photos, videos, or old stories that were told to me. Like, I'm not sure if I remember when my sister and I insisted on sweat socks to my cousin Susan's bat mitzvah, or if I just remember seeing this picture of it:

This look is actually pretty hip right now.

I definitely don't remember the torah portion (sorry Susan, I know you worked hard on that), but I think I remember the memory of seeing the photo as a kid.

Will our kids have even stronger memories when they look at our FB or Instagram pages after we've posted them?

Will they think they had an impossibly amazing childhood because they won't have memories of all the pics we don't post? Not to mention the incidents we don't record at all...?

Or maybe their memories will be so diluted because there are so many photos and videos, they won't remember every incident even if it was recorded. Maybe they'll mainly remember the feelings they had, just like we did.

Pro tip: Try to avoid showing your kids pics or video of themselves right after you record them. Otherwise they'll get used to it and then demand it, and develop the narcissism of child stars without making the salaries of child stars, and you will have to pay the therapy bills out of your own pocket.

Somehow I think I'm going to be paying for their therapy either way, but that's another blog post.

-Ending the drought**I have no idea if this storm is going to end the drought.

Here's what sucks:​-I haven’t bought the kids new rain boots in 2 years, so their feet are stuffed into boots they’ve outgrown in both size and theme (Star Wars has replaced Thomas, Doc McStuffins is the new Elmo).

-We dropped the ball on harvesting rainwater.

-One child has an umbrella (Hello Kitty-- still acceptable). The other child has no umbrella because he broke it when trying to use it as a weapon against the tree. The tree won.

-The child with no umbrella is whining. One child with umbrella is worse than no child with umbrella.

-Umbrellas for children should be outlawed. Why do kids need umbrellas in Los Angeles? They have hooded jackets and they’re just getting in and out of cars.

-All the cafés are crowded. This means slower Wifi, fewer parking spots, and a run on almond milk and avocado toast.

-Any inside place I decide to take the kids after school will be muddy and packed.

-L.A. roads were not designed for rain. We pray for rain to end the drought** and then we don’t know how to get around in the rain.**Again, I have no idea if this storm is going to end the drought ​

How I cope:​Let the kids jump in puddles (prep plenty of towels near the front door)

-Make almond milk at home (with dates! just like at the cafe that had no parking spots left this morning.)

(I admit, I need another blog post to address how I cope with my kids wanting to help in the kitchen)

-Use Amazon Prime same-day delivery for a kid’s dinosaur umbrella. I didn’t see any Star Wars-themed ones, which is for thebest because he would inevitably mix it up with all the other Star Wars umbrellas at school and/or probably get tired of it. Dinos are classic.

-Google “harvesting rainwater” which leads to a search on how much rain we need to end the drought******Still not sure.

-Stay dry and write a blog post.

So, what's your coping mechanism when it's raining and pouring and the old man is snoring? Be a big kid and share!

I think my five-year-old is addicted to sharing. We face his junkie habit every morning, just as we’re putting on his hoodie and heading out the door. (We live in Los Angeles. A hoodie is all you need in January. Deal with it, East Coast). It goes a little somethin’ like this:Me: Ok, Samson, if we leave now we can make it in time for morning meeting.Him: Oh, wait! I need to bring something for share time.(“Share Time” equals Show-and-Tell and “Morning Meeting” = Circle Time. This is the East Side of L.A.. We don’t use conventional preschool language.)That’s when the negotiation begins…Me: Not today, honey. Today, you can just listen to other friends sharing. Him: Please? I REALLY wanna share something!Me: There isn’t time. You can pick something tonight to share tomorrow.Him: Nooooooo! I want to share something today!!!!!Me: I said no. We’re not talking about it anymore.Him: Please! Pleeeeease! How ‘bout I just grab my rocket ship?Me: No, it’s supposed to be something “science-y.” And besides, I said we’re not talking about it anymore.Him: But a rocket IS science-y! They have one at the Science Center! The Endeavor! Me: Fine. Run and get it. But hurry.Ok, I’ll admit I’m a pushover sometimes. I’m a total enabler. But the tantrum involved if I don’t let him share will suck up even more time and suck up all my energy and my day will just be... sucky.And I sympathize. I’m addicted to sharing too. I figure he gets the same rush in “morning meeting” that I get when I post something on Facebook (like this blog entry). It’s exhilarating to have people’s attention, to give them a tidbit of info they might not have already known, to start a conversation...Sure, there’s a level of fear involved. What if nobody Likes it? What if somebody makes a mean comment? What if I poop in my pants while I’m doing it? (That’s only happened to me once, and it was a really vulnerable post.)But that fear only adds to the excitement. Sharing boosts adrenaline. I’m putting myself out there. Maybe somebody will connect with what I’m saying. Maybe someone is dying to know about space travel (or, in my case, what it’s like to be a mom in Silverlake who shares her son’s addiction to sharing) and I’m helping them.Even better, maybe someone will enjoy my talk, and share their SB&J with me at lunch. (Gotta use Sunflower Butter because of all the nut allergies going around.)

I could be starting a share train. I’m sharing it forward! Share, share, share!Perhaps this is a healthy habit, and Samson will end up doing TED talks or speaking at NASA conferences. Or maybe he’s just starved for attention and he’ll pursue a career in stand-up comedy. Uh-oh. Is there a sharing rehab in Malibu I can take him to?This post was not helpful. But perhaps you want to help ME. Offer some advice in the comments. Or are you dealing with a sharing addiction at home?

Welcome to my new blog!Actually, it's my good ol' blog, with its new home on my new website! I figure it’s worth a new blog post.It’s been exactly four years since I started this blog (on the old site). A few things have changed since then, including the addition of our beautiful daughter, Elena. Samson’s now four-and-a-half, and Elena’s two.Since my first blog post in 2010, I’ve learned a few things about motherhood. Here’s a taste, a poo-poo platter of mom lessons, if you will...﻿﻿Having two kids is more than twice as hard as one...unless they’re playing together, in which case it’s half as hard...until they start fighting in which case I give up.﻿﻿I posted this on FB, but it bears repeating: Mo﻿therhood is being happiest when your loved ones are having fun without you. Motherhood is also having cute shoes that you never wear. The one time you might wear your cute shoes is on “ladies’ night,” which you really look forward to once you have kids--maybe even more than date night. (Sorry, Rob.) Girlfriends need to kick back with their sauvignon blanc, yo!Children don’t potty train themselves. I’ve looked everywhere, and there is no “laissez faire” method.It’s true that when you have kids, your “priorities change,” but you still obsess over stupid shit like what kind of throw pillows to buy.A project (or blog post) should not wait till you have time to make it “thorough” or “complete.” Do what you can, watch The Good Wife, and go to bed. (Nobody’s reading your entire blog posts anyway.)Most moms DO care what other people think, but it looks like we don’t because we don’t have time to groom.

Don’t buy your kids things they’re into in the moment. What they like will change before you even bring it home. The older they get, the more quickly their tastes change. So there’s no predicting how long they’ll be into something, because that’s constantly shifting. Best thing to do is find out what their best friend’s older sibling is into and buy that.

Cooking anything good is a waste of your time. It will only get eaten by your spouse and he’s too tired to pay attention.

Whatever you say relating to parenting or motherhood makes you sound like a mom.

Speaking of sounding like a mom, "I'd love to hear from you!" What have YOU learned? Holla back in the comments. Or, if you don't have time, just Like, Tweet, Retweet, what have you...

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Author

Marian Belgray's an L.A.-based standup comic and writer/producer who's contributed to HBO, Cinemax, Nickmom, Comedy Central, Pampers, Funny or Die, and ​Parents.com, with articles and comedy videos.Marian’s performed at clubs around Los Angeles, including The Comedy Store, The Improv, IOWest, UCB, The Virgil, and Akbar. She's the creator and host of CUFirstTuesday, a comedy show the first Tuesday of every month in Silverlake, and a certified writer for Comedywire. She posts about her thoughts and biznatch here and on social media. She hopes you appreciate it.You can follow her here: